Today we talk about the danger of blending in as a designer. Your four hosts take an in-depth look at the best ways to stand out and get your work noticed more. Without further ado, let’s get into the show.
The Honest Designers Show has its own dedicated social media profiles. Follow the links below to find us on your preferred social media platform:
[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/honestdesigners/HD_71.mp3?dest-id=468740″ social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” title=”Episode 71: Standing Out as a Designer 2″]
Watch more of the Honest Designers episodes here: Honest Designers Podcast Playlist And remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for regular updates direct to your inbox.
Show Notes for This Episode:
[1:00] “’Wait we don’t all have to be just sheep!” – listen to find out what we’re talking about
[2:00] The danger of blending in as a designer
[2:45] The fear of not following the sheep heard and being left behind
[3:45] The hosts debate Lisa’s new cool and edgy look
[4:40] Standing out even in a niche like lettering
[5:00] “To stand out as a designer, you either have to be better or different” – Ian Barnard
[5:30] It’s hard to be the best in your industry, so the alternative is to be different
[6:00] When someone is different that you recognise their style immediately
[6:40] Incorporating your experiences and your personality into your work
[7:20] Dustin shares Jon Burgerman’s quote: “If you can’t be good be different…”
[7:50] “Being different is scary, but being authentic is hard” – Tom Ross
[8:40] The constant struggle with being authentic in both design and your life
[9:50] The filters we all apply before we put ourselves out there
[10:30] Putting things out and worrying about how it can be interpreted and if you’ll be punished for it
[11:10] Integrity (authenticity) is when your thoughts, your actions and your words are all aligned
[11:50] Tom aims to have a different take on the topic in this episode compared to Episode 9 – Standing Out as a Designer
[12:20] ’Authenticity is the new currency and it will help propel your career more than anything’ – Tom Ross
[12:50] Tom asked his followers to list three random things about themselves
[13:30] He suggests every designer should do this and list as many things as they can
[15:00] Tom used to play competitive chess when he was 8-9 years old
[16:00] This is part of Tom’s history and personality and defines him as a designer
[16:30] Lisa used to be teased when she was younger for being a ‘dorky extrovert’
[17:15] She knew that one day this will be useful and now she gets to apply this in her illustrations
[18:10] Schools should encourage students to be different and stand out
[18:40] The fear of standing out when you’re not a confident person
[19:40] Everyone suffers from the same insecurities
[21:00] Creating a paragraph about you and including what makes you special
[21:40] Tom asks the hosts what makes them stand out
[22:00] Dustin: ‘Ian for me will always be 30% the vegetable guy’
[22:40] Tom thinks that Ian’s work is always innovative and different, and Ian is a trend setter not a trend follower
[23:20] Ian style has developed and doesn’t feel comfortable trying out old styles
[23:35 ‘Ian is an inventive letterer’ (Lisa) and ‘pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with lettering’ (Tom)
[24:30] Ian takes longer to release products because he wants something to stand out
[26:20] He has a lot of posts he never shared because they didn’t result in what he wanted
[27:20] Ideas can sometimes simmer for a long time
[28:20] Tom’s take on how you compare yourself with competition based on how many authentic traits you can add to your design work
[29:20] The more traits you add, the more you will differentiate from your competition and stand out
[30:00] Ian suggestion is to also focus on consistency and style
[30:30] ‘Designers will grow quicker when they are not following the same mould’ – Ian Barnard
[31:00] He made a whole year’s income of something he found in a tutorial
[31:50] Waste a day playing and discovering new things
[32:30] Ian got an idea for a product from playing around with a pen
[34:30] Dustin’s authenticity comes from the skill of being able to identify what others might like in an artist and translating it into a product
[35:15] His work also stands out in the product previews, the quality of design and the way the product is presented as a whole
[36:30] The initial gold rush and making better products to be ahead of designers just for financial gain
[37:00] Dustin’s latest product cost $4,000 to make
[37:50] ‘The sustainability of your products will come from being more authentic’ – Lisa Glanz
[38:15] Standing out by putting more of yourself into the product
[39:15] Making a steady income and fearing you might lose clients if you bring too much of your personality in the products
[39:40] Feed your personality into a side project
[40:10] Meg’s example of how she started doing illustration on the side and now she is creating a product based on this work
[41:20] Lisa explains the meaning of the phrase: ‘in the pound seats’
[42:00] The importance of being authentic and true to yourself
[42:30] Humans are notorious bad at knowing what makes them happy
[43:15] For Dustin the best thing in life is sharing a meal with his family
[44:00] Ask yourself what really makes you happy
[44:50] Authenticity is important in your life, but don’t over invest in it in your business
[46:00] Ian’s more happy in his life because now he is most comfortable in his work
[46:50] Making sure that your 100% authentic in your work and client relationships and you don’t hold anything back
[47:20] Most designers won’t reach the goal of being the next Aaron Draplin and they shouldn’t beat themselves up for it
[47:50] Think of the small wins and see how you can change something everyday
[48:20] When working for a corporate business, Lisa injected her authenticity in the way she dealt with clients
[49:00] Inject authenticity in places where there is leeway to be yourself
[50:00] The hosts are very excited to mention the new Honest Designers Show social media profiles
[51:00] Tom suggests the hosts should all do an Instagram takeover
[51:40] Please go and check the new social media profiles Facebook Instagram Twitter
[52:20] The hosts are looking forward to being in touch and replying to your comments
[52:50] Thanks so much for listening to this week’s episode
“A must for every creative freelancer (or those aspiring to freelance). Thank you for being so… honest! Such a wealth of information from people I admire who have ‘been there and done that’. Listening to the podcast every week feels like I’m among friends. Can’t wait for more episodes!” – AG_GD
Be the first to comment